Earle-Sears wrote of ‘moral opposition’ to marriage equality when signing 2024 bill
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Republican candidate for governor and current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears said that she was "morally opposed" to marriage equality legislation Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) signed into law in 2024, as written in a note on the bill itself.
During the 2024 General Assembly session, legislators considered House Bill 174, a piece of legislation that made it illegal to deny a couple a marriage license based on sex, gender or race. The bill was ultimately passed, signed by Youngkin and became law on July 1, 2024.
“The governor has signaled with my bill that Virginia will be for lovers,” Del. Rozia Henson (D- Prince William), the bill's author and the first openly gay Black man to serve in Virginia's General Assembly, told 8News at the time of Youngkin's signing.
The law does include a provision to allow religious organizations and members of the clergy to decline to officiate ceremonies that "violate their conscience," according to a previous statement from Youngkin's office.
On Thursday, May 1, 8News obtained a copy of the enrolled HB 174 after learning that it may have some additional writing on it. This document was signed by Earle-Sears, as well as House Speaker Don Scott, before being sent to Youngkin for his review.
This is a "ministerial" act that Virginia's lieutenant governor and House speaker carry out routinely for all bills passed by the General Assembly, per a spokesperson for the House of Delegates.
In an unusual move, alongside that routine signature, Earle-Sears wrote a note on the enrolled bill, shown above. It reads as follows:
"As the Lt. Governor, I recognize and respect my constitutional obligation to adhere to the procedures laid out in the Constitution of Virginia; however, I remain morally opposed to the content of HB174 as passed by the General Assembly."
Per General Assembly records, Earle-Sears would have penned her signature -- as well as this note, most likely -- on Feb. 24, 2024. The bill was later signed into law by Youngkin on March 8, 2024.
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Notably, legislators also chaptered a constitutional amendment during the 2025 General Assembly session that repealed the same-sex marriage prohibition that was long a part of Virginia's state constitution. It also codified the idea that marriage is a "fundamental right" and that adult Virginians can marry regardless of sex, gender or race.
